Wayne Newton being sued because his pet Capuchin MONKEY allegedly bit a teenage girl
Monkeys are exotic pets requiring special care and enormous responsibility, something legendary singer Wayne Newton has found out.
The 77-year-old Las Vegas staple was sued Wednesday by a teenage girl’s mother who claims her daughter was bitten by his Capuchin monkey Boo nearly two years ago, according to TMZ.
She claims her daughter required a tetanus shot after the puny primate mistook her for a banana.
Ouch! Las Vegas staple Wayne Newton, 77, was sued Wednesday by a teenage girl’s mother who claims her daughter was bitten by his Capuchin monkey Boo nearly two years ago
The incident in question took place in October 2017, when the woman and her daughter were invited to Wayne’s former home Casa de Shenandoah.
He lost full control of the 40-acre property in 2012 during bankruptcy proceedings, though he later reached an agreement with the company controlling it in 2015 to turn it into a public exhibit and museum.
According to the family’s lawyer, Marc Naron of D.R. Patti & Associates, the monkey was neither caged nor leashed as it was shown to visitors, which is when it bit the young girl.
A photo posted by TMZ appears to show the girl’s right wrist from shortly after the incident.
It has a dark scabbed-over section and is lightly pink around the marks.
Hanging free: The mother’s lawyer claims the daughter was bitten while invited to visit Newton’s Casa de Shenandoah property near Vegas, and that it was uncaged and unleashed
Naron said in the court filings that the girl had to go to the hospital shortly after her encounter with the overly familiar monkey as her wrist began to swell.
She was given a tetanus shot while at the hospital, and the lawyer claimed she received counseling afterward and still bears a scar from the attack.
The classic crooner claimed not have read the lawsuit, according to the Associated Press.
He and his wife said they haven’t been in charge of the estate since July 17 ‘due to Wayne’s almost dying from a spider bite’ and that they have ‘no idea what happened in October 2017.’
See no evil: The girl allegedly had to get a tetanus shot and still has a scar, but Wayne isn’t admitting responsibility. He and his wife say they gave up control of the property in July 2017
In addition to the Monkey, the opulent estate included a small zoo of exotic animals, including penguins, sloths, flamingos and Arabian horses that Newton raised.
There are several homes on the property, as well as the main mansion.
Earlier this year, Wayne launched his Mr. Vegas residency at Caesars Palace in Vegas from late January through May.
His performances to this day usually include his 1963 cover of Danke Schoen, which was lip synced by Matthew Broderick’s character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).